My name is Molly. I am a 23 year-old, Minneapolis based runner/ yogi and I am running my second Boston Marathon this year (fifth marathon total!!) I ran it two years ago as my second marathon ever and loved every second of it (OK, that’s not entirely true)… but it was something I knew I had to do again. I am really excited to run it again this year and have my best friend and sister there to cheer me on.

I PR’d at Boston last year at a 3:25 and would love to beat it but I have battled quite a few injuries over the years and right now am battling a hip flexor pull. I have been taking it easy in order to kick it into high gear on April 16.

I started running my freshman year of college, which began with one-mile runs and slowly built my way up to, well, marathons. Running has been an invigorating and strengthening outlet in my life, both physically and mentally. My confidence in my self and my ability have sky rocketed and I am well aware that I really can do anything I put my mind to (so can you). I credit running for getting me through many hard times in my life, it has been my free therapy and I am so blessed to have legs that move.

I am so looking forward to my time in the great city of Boston. I cannot wait for the expo, an amazing Italian dinner (and dessert, duh), THE RACE, finding my sister after the race, and celebrating… oh, and I am going to need to find some of this Marylou’s Coffee you speak of at some point.Best of luck to all the runners- WE CAN DO IT!!!

I’m running Boston this year! I ran Boston last year too; this picture is from last year’s race. Instead of my usual gels, I ate candy during the race and it looks like I’m licking every last grain of sugar off my lips. Mmmmm.

My name is Heather Warren, I’m 28 from Oklahoma City, OK and I’ll be running the Boston Marathon for the first time on April 16th. I’ve dreamed of running Boston since I started running in middle school and I’m so incredibly excited to be accomplishing my lifelong goal. This will be my 8th marathon. I first BQ’ed at the Fargo Marathon in 2011 and again with a new PR of 3:29 at the Houston Marathon in January 2012. I love running and the running community and I’m so excited to be a part of such a historic and prestigious marathon!

Laura

I’m a 26 year old graduate student from Tempe, AZ (originally from San Diego). I’ve been running for three years and I’m so excited to be running my first Boston marathon this year. I qualified for Boston at the LA Marathon in March, 2011, which was the hardest race of my life! There was pouring rain, thunder, lightning, and hundreds of people sent to the hospital with hypothermia. Now I have been sidelined with a hip injury for the past 3 weeks and it wasn’t looking good, but I’m back on my feet and I will crawl to that finish line if I have to! Before the injury, I was hoping to run a 3:20 at Boston (my PR is a 3:24), but now my goal is to just have a good time! For anyone trying to qualify for Boston, keep working your butt off and don’t give up!

Lesley

I’m 28 years old and currently live in Cambridge where I just finished my Master’s in Nutrition and working on finishing up my requirements to become an RD.This is my first Boston Marathon (3rd full marathon). I’m running for the the Joslin Diabetes Center to honor my mother who passed away over the summer from Type 1 Diabetes complications. Here is the link to my charity fundraising page.

I’ll be toeing the start line in Hopkinton for the first time (!!) on April 16th. Ever since I started running 10 years ago, Boston was always my goal. I ran my first marathon in 5:12, so I had a long way to go before I BQ’d. With lots of hard work and determination, I dropped my marathon time to 3:43…good enough for entry into the 2012 Boston Marathon! Running Boston is going to be a dream come true for me. My blog, Run The Long Road, documents my journey to Boston and beyond. I hope to show all runners out there that anyone can BQ, if you want it badly enough!

Lindsay

After months of training I cannot believe the Boston Marathon is only a few days away! My road to the starting line has been an incredibly bumpy one but I feel ready, a little nervous and very excited to get to Hopkinton on April 16.

About a month into my training during a normal 11 mile run something started to feel very wrong in my left knee. By mile 7 I could barely walk and even needed to take a cab back to my apartment. I’ve never felt more discouraged or disappointed and had no idea how I’d be able to run 26 miles if I could barely make it 7 without being halted by pain. Months of PT and training later, I completed 20 miles on March 21 and have the confidence to make it to the start on race day. My goal is simply to cross the finish line in one piece and with a (half) smile on my face!

I could not have stuck with the marathon training program if it was not for the amazing coaches and team members at Team in Training. Over the course of my training I’ve raised a little over $4,400 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and am beyond impressed with the work they do. I know Tina has talked a ton about TNT/LLS on CNC, but I hope you’ll consider donating if you haven’t already! See you at the finish!

Lauren

My name is Lauren and this will be my first Boston Marathon! I am originally from New York and now live in North Carolina with my husband Rick. I ran my first full marathon in the Outer Banks, NC where I qualified for Boston. The race was amazing and made even more special when my dad surprised me at the finish line. My family and friends will be supporting me in Boston and I cannot wait!

The Boston Marathon is my very first marathon and I’m on the Leukemia and Lymphoma society Team in Training and couldn’t be happier about being part of such an amazing team. In the photo is a picture of myself and the little boy I am running in honor of. His name is Nicholas and he passed away in October from complication from Fanconi Anemia and AML. Here is the link to my fundraising page. I’m also partnering up with Naked Pizza. If you call in or order online using the code “AmandaRuns4LLS” then they will get 10% off their order and 10% of their bill will be donated to my fundraising efforts.

Boston will be my second marathon. I actually just ran my first 2 weeks ago in Los Angeles and you can read all the fun and gory details here. I am trying for a quadruple whammy this year, LA, Boston, Chicago and NY. Of course NY is dependent on the lottery since I’m not super-speedy yet, but I think that it would be kind of nuts to say I did all 4 in one year! Talk about a running adventure.

As I mentioned, I am raising money for Fred’s Team and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and my personal page is here. I am raising money to – as I call it – ‘kick cancer in the face’. One of my big goals for 2012 was to Do More Good. Meaning to take the things that I love to do – running being one of them – and put it to better use for a greater good and the community around me. Not only have I had cancer, but I also have overcome a lot of obstacles to be able to run so I cannot think of a sweeter reward than to take what I’ve been able to overcome and use my body and my abilities to be able to run for this cause and work towards my goal of doing more good.

Whitney is the blogger behind LiveRunLoveYoga. This is her third marathon but first Boston Marathon. She previously ran the New York City Marathon in 2009 and the Chicago Marathon in 2011. She is running with Team in Training and is excited to be part of an inspiring group of runners! To date she has raised over $6000 for the cause and hopes to raise more as the team aims to raise over 1 million dollars for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Visit her fundraising page for more information. When she is not training with TNT she is blogging daily about her experiences and lessons in running and yoga and sharing bits and pieces from a healthy lifestyle! Many of her workouts, long runs and experiences training for this marathon have been shared on her blog!

My name is Lindsay and I blog over at Running the Windy City. I’m 23 years old and currently live in Chicago. This race will be my first Boston and my fourth marathon overall. My original plan was to PR at Boston breaking my 3:25 qualifying time but I had to take three weeks off during training due to a stress fracture in my heel. My new goal is to finish the race and have an amazing time! I can’t wait to get to Boston and RUN!

Love love love this post! So exciting! I qualified in 2008 with my first (and only) marathon, and still sad that I didn’t get to run it due to hip problem – even more sad that ever since than I couldn’t get over 30 mpw, but I still believe someday I will be back in action, fast and long running, and marathons. Good luck, ladies!

Great article to read just a few days before the big race. Made me feel like I wasn’t all alone running with injuries. I hope to finish with a smile. The hard part is over, qualifying for this race! Now it is time to enjoy it!